


Follow You Home

by Spark_Stark



Series: To Bring You Back Home [12]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Autistic Jack Hotchner, Autistic Spencer Reid, Cute, Domestic Boyfriends, Established Relationship, Family, Feelings, Fluff, M/M, Meeting the Parents, The BAU Team - Freeform, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:21:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25861228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spark_Stark/pseuds/Spark_Stark
Summary: Spencer and Aaron try to navigate their future together.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Spencer Reid
Series: To Bring You Back Home [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820395
Comments: 51
Kudos: 273





	1. Chapter 1

Seven months in, Rossi confronted him. 

“You’re keeping something from him,” he said as he invited himself into Hotch’s office. 

Hotch looked up from his desk, from the work he was desperately trying to get through. The piles on his desk seemed to keep growing. “I’m sorry?” Hotch asked, furrowing his eyebrows at Rossi who was standing on the other side of the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. 

“From Reid,” Rossi answered, his stance and expression giving nothing away. Years of poker had moulded him to the perfect display of neutrality. “There’s clearly something you’re not telling him.”

The hair on the back of Hotch’s neck bristled. “I’m not keeping anything from him.” He said simply. 

Rossi huffed out a breath. “Aaron-“

“Look, Dave,” Hotch interrupted, straightening himself up in his seat. “I have quite a bit of work to be doing, if you have something you need to say…”

“I don’t have anything I need to say, you do.” The older man retorted, the slight raise in his volume betraying him. 

Aaron bit the inside of his cheek and put his pen down on the desk. “Spencer and I are very capable of communicating. Thank you for your concern in our relationship, but that is a personal matter.” He said, as levelled but assertive as he could manage. 

The office fell into an uncomfortably tense silence, Rossi had sort of expected this reaction but the hopeful side of him hoped that Aaron would confess to whatever he was clearly keeping from his boyfriend and everything would be less… He couldn’t put a finger on what exactly the problem was. He could see the way Hotch cut his sentences short while he talked to Reid after hours. 

“I’m trying to be optimistic here, Aaron. Reid hasn’t seemed to push the matter so maybe that means it’s good news. Did you get offered a promotion?” 

Dave’s stature folded in on himself and he became less defensive as he watched the array of reactions cross Hotch’s face. “I didn’t- I would never cheat on him, if that’s what you are implying.” There was a relief to hearing the slightly offended tone in his voice.   
Rossi talked aloud as he tried to connect the dots. “Defensive when confronted, despite it not involving me. Which suggests-“

“Dave, stop. Please.” 

He didn’t want to, but he submitted to the request. Uncrossing his arms and instead leaned them against the chair on front of him. “Fine,” He said with a heavy sigh. “Just- Don’t hurt him.”

“I would never dream of it.” 

-

Spencer stroked his fingers down Aaron’s well defined and sweat soaked stomach and let his head drop onto his bare shoulder. “Did you know it take one hundred and fifty five muscles to cycle but only eighteen of them are in core muscles?” 

Aaron smiled lazily as he listened to Spencer talk, enjoying the lull of his words in the darkly lit room and the vibrations his voice made against his skin. It caught him completely off guard when Spencer asked him, “What’s the good news you won’t share with me?” 

He looked down at Spencer against his side, “What?” He asked incredulously. 

“I’ve noticed the way you cut yourself off from talking sometimes. You do it when you talk to victims’ families too, when you don’t want to share all the details with them.” Spencer said it so casually that it threw Aaron for a loop. 

He didn’t know what exactly to say in response. Yes, he was keeping something from Spencer but the main reason was because he didn’t know how to tell him. And part of him feared that Spencer would react badly, would withdraw from him. They were in such a good place in their relationship; starting to mention apartment hunting together, somewhere big enough for both of them to have an office and a bedroom for Jack. (Bunk beds, Jack had insisted. For when Henry was old enough to have sleep overs.) 

If he told Spencer what he was holding back from him, it might jeopardise that. But it was slowly killing him, not being completely open and honest with him. “I’m scared of what you will think,” He whispered, not able to manage much more than the low and wavering volume. 

Spencer pushed himself off of Aaron’s body and Aaron immediately grabbed for him. Gripping to Spencer’s naked hips and holding him close, desperate to not let him go. Of course, Spencer noticed it straight away. “I won’t leave, just please tell me what’s bothering you.” 

He nodded and took a deep breath. Spencer continued to rub up and down his stomach soothingly, pressing into the touch of Aaron’s hands around his waist. “Jack asked me one night, when I called to say goodnight.” He began, not looking at the man beside him. Not having the strength to face the eventual reaction his words would provoke. “He asked when he will be able to have your name.” 

“Oh.”

“Spence, I was going to-“

Spencer pressed his index finger against Aaron’s lips, interrupting him. “Don’t do that.” He chastised. 

“Don’t do what?” Aaron asked. Spencer’s lip twitched into a not quite smile and he leaned up to kiss the side of Aaron’s mouth. 

“Assume the worst of everything.” Aaron wanted to argue, but he was right. Spencer was always right. Neither men were particularly optimistic in life, Aaron was unconsciously pessimistic and Spencer was an unapologetic realist. 

He kissed Spencer again, hesitant and shy. Searching for reassurance. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, we’re in such a good place right now and I…” Aaron trailed off as he opened his eyes and looked into Spencer’s. 

Spencer’s hand glided up his chest and rested on his cheek, feeling the beginnings of his unshaven stubble as he placed his thumb under his chin. “I understand and I accept your apology,” He said, still maintaining eye contact. It wasn’t often that Spencer held eye contact for a long period of time, it wasn’t a conscious decision he made. When he talked, he focused on what he was saying rather than who he was supposed to be looking at. It had took a lot of training for him to learn that neurotypical people put a lot of significance into the act. 

The silence spoke for Spencer. He didn’t know what to think about the situation, but he was working on it. “I don’t expect you to have an answer now, or this week. Or even this year. It’s not- yeah.” Aaron stumbled over his own words.

It seemed that Aaron had begun to pick up on some of Spencer’s habits, such as rambling without thinking much about what he was saying. Similarly, Spencer had picked up Aaron’s habit of waking up earlier. 

“Okay.” Spencer said, because he didn’t know what else to say.


	2. Chapter 2

Knocking nervously on Rossi’s door, he was welcomed in and offered a seat opposite Dave’s desk. When Hotch sat down, he ran his fingers through his hair which made Rossi raise an eyebrow. Profiler aside, Rossi could tell his friend was on edge. “Do I need a drink for this?” He asked, despite it being three in the afternoon. 

Hotch would have laughed if he was less anxious. “Strauss has called for a meeting,” He said. 

Dave glanced at the alcohol shelf as he replied. “Do you think it’s about our application?” 

“I hope so.” Was all Hotch could manage. He wasn’t quite sure why he was as nervous as he was in the moment, he didn’t like Strauss much and she definitely tested his patience. He never particularly looked forward to their meetings but nervousness wasn’t common. 

But that wasn’t quite true, was it? Hotch didn’t want to admit it, but he knew that Strauss’ sudden need for a confidential meeting could have been for another reason. One that he really, really hoped that the section chief wouldn’t know about. 

There wasn’t much more that could be said to the conversation. Rossi tapped the desk and there was another knock on the door, this time it was JJ. “We have a case,” she said, eyeing the two senior agents when she felt the odd friction about the room but saying nothing. “And uh- Strauss wants to come.” 

Rossi and Hotch shared a look. If she wanted to oversee this investigation, the chances were that it was about the request for an additional agent on the team. That’s what they told themselves as they followed the communications liaison to the roundtable room. 

-

They all gathered in Hotch and Reid’s hotel room after the first day on the case. Their stress levels were already high with this case, an unsub who targeted police officers meant that the locals were not pleased to have the F.B.I. involved, they wanted this case solved by their own men. 

Add to that, Strauss’ presence. 

On any other case with pressure this high, Hotch would have brought Spencer into his arms as soon as he had the opportunity. But somehow, Strauss seemed to always be around. As soon as the section chief had closed her room door, Hotch sent a text to each team member asking to gather for a quick conversation. 

“Thanks for coming guys,” Hotch began, sitting on the edge of the double bed beside Spencer. He took Aaron’s hand in his and watched the transformation of Hotch to Aaron take place before his eyes. “I know we’re all a bit…” 

There wasn’t really any word to describe what they were feeling. “Yeah,” was Rossi’s response. The only of the team to reply, nobody really knowing what to say. Rossi gave him a wordless look but the expression said everything it needed to. 

Aaron glanced at Spencer who was carefully watching him. He hadn’t wanted to tell Spencer before he told the rest of them, this was a team matter not a personal one which meant that they would all be told together. “Due to the extra funding we have from budget cuts, Dave and I have put in a request for an addition agent to be assigned to the B.A.U.” 

“Although Strauss hasn’t said anything,” Dave continued. “We believe that’s the reason she is here on this case with us.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. 

Morgan spoke next. “When were you going to tell us?” His voice had a sharp tone to it, and part of Aaron thought it had something to do with Spencer’s hand in his. 

He took a deep breath but Rossi answered before he could, seeing the potential outcome of Morgan’s steady anger growing by Hotch’s response. “When we had a definitive answer.” He said calmly. Aaron shot him a thankful glance. 

“Where did the extra money come from?” JJ asked. 

“The room sharing, driving to custodial interviews-“

“Cheap coffee,” Prentiss interrupted gloomily. “I miss the good stuff.”

Aaron let himself chuckled quietly. “I think we all do.” He said humorously. Spencer looked at him from his place beside Aaron and kissed him on the cheek quickly. He had had to bare the many disgruntled texts from Hotch throughout their office days complaining about the less than par coffee until Spencer had gone to the closest Starbucks on his break to get a large drink for him to keep him happy. 

It had become somewhat of a joke within the team, they always waited until Reid had got coffee for Hotch before they asked the boss for something. Usually a day off. 

Thinking back to a year ago, before Hotch and Reid had started dating, it was almost unthought-of to make a joke about the unit chief. Much less to joke about it with him. Even when he was Hotch and not Aaron, he was more approachable and less tense. He smiled just as much as he always did at work, which was not a lot, but he was noticeably happier. He had become in a way, less of a drill sergeant. 

After the rest of the team had left to get some well needed rest, Spencer approached the subject that was on all of the profilers’ minds. “Do you think she’s here because of us?” 

Aaron sighed and lied back on the bed, still dressed in his suit and tie, and closed his eyes. “I don’t know,” he said, and Spencer could see that the uncertainty was killing him. He made his way over to Aaron on the bed and leaned over him, pulling his tie free from the stiff collar and unbuttoning his shirt. 

There was nothing sexual about the act, Spencer undressing him. He could see how tired Aaron was and wanted to help him get to sleep. But if he stood up now, he mightn’t ever sit back down. It was something both him and Spencer were guilty of doing on many occasions. They never had sex while on a case, excluding their first encounter when Spencer had sucked Aaron off in the sheriff’s department bathroom. It didn’t seem right, there were children missing or people dying and they needed to be focused on the case and not each other. 

It was the main reason why the team had suggested they all double up on rooms. JJ knew from personal experience that it was easier to sleep through troubling times when there was somebody to hold you. And few things were ever more troubling than the cases they worked on. Spencer and Aaron needed each other at night so that they could be Hotch and Reid during the day. 

So JJ had convinced them all to share rooms, her with Prentiss and Morgan with Rossi. The excuse being that it saved money, (and it had, as Hotch highlighted earlier.) and Penelope was always there to do her cyber-sleuthing and covering their tracks. The paper trail said that the B.A.U. occupied three double rooms, but there was only ever one bed in Spencer and Aaron’s room.


	3. Chapter 3

On the third day, a disagreement turned into an argument between an officer and Reid as a result of Strauss’ insensitive comments. She had been getting on Reid and JJ’s nerves since the morning, doing little to help and a lot to hinder their progress in the small space they had been reluctantly offered. 

Reid was trying to nail down a geographical profile and JJ had been on manning the tip line while Strauss threw around unfriendly remarks about the police station and the officers in it. Hotch, Rossi, Prentiss and Morgan had split into two groups to interview witnesses and family members around the town. 

The section chief had criticised one of the young and wholly well-meaning officers who had simply come in to the room to ask if any of the agents had wanted a coffee while he made a run to the corner store. 

“If you cared about the victims as much as you all claimed to, you would be doing more than going out for coffee,” she uttered. 

Reid and JJ turned to stare at her in complete shock. “Ma’am,” JJ said, her tone professional as ever but with a great deal of heat behind it. “I don’t think that is at all a fair assumption to make.” 

Her defences were not enough for Strauss, apparently in the mood for a confrontation with somebody. She belittled the startled officer until a detective had overheard the commotion and stepped up. “What use are you feds here anyways?” He said. 

That was a question that JJ had been asked time and time again. Her soft and empathetic demeanour doubled with her well-rehearsed statement about the team’s potentially helpful assets usually worked in soothing over unconvinced L.E.O.’s, but Strauss spoke before she could stand up and speak to the detective. 

“The Bureau is solving this case because you clearly cannot.” 

In that moment, Spencer saw red. He slammed the files in his hands down on the desk. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” He fumed at Strauss. 

At some point during the argument, Hotch and Prentiss had returned and were hearing the voices travelling through the precinct. Spencer’s raised tone had them sharing a look and promptly speeding their way across the floor to the room they were occupying. 

When they stepped through the doorway, Spencer was standing over the section chief with his hands clenched at his side. “What gives you the right to think that you are better than everybody else?” 

“Agent Reid,” Hotch called out over the noise of the room, gaining Reid’s attention. “With me. Now.” His voice left no room for debate. Spencer stepped away from Strauss and stormed out of the room with Hotch in tow. 

Hotch caught up with Reid and pulled him aside into an empty corridor. As soon as the two men were face to face, Reid broke down and fell into Hotch’s chest. The unit chief stood rigid against the young doctor for a minute before Reid whimpered against him and his instincts overcame him. He wrapped his arms around Spencer’s shoulders and tried to calm him down. 

Running his fingers through Spencer’s soft curls, he whispered. “Spence, what happened?” 

“I can’t- she is just so…” He mumbled against Aaron’s chest. After a minute he pushed himself gently away from Hotch so he could look at him, his hands still around Aaron’s waist. “That poor officer did nothing wrong, she just ripped into him for no reason.” He explained once he regained his cool. 

Aaron wiped at the tear tracks on Spencer’s face. He brought his hand around to the back of Spencer’s neck, “I’ll talk to her later.” He said. “Do you need a minute before we go back in?”

Spencer shook his head. “No, I’m good.” He answered, taking a deep breath. Aaron leaned in and kissed his delicately on his forehead and stepped away. Spencer turned away from him and headed down the corridor, Aaron followed him while putting some space between the other agent, falling back into his professional persona. 

Prentiss and JJ were talking with the young officer when Hotch and Reid re-entered the room, Strauss nowhere to be seen. The other detective had left after JJ had apologised profusely. The two women seemed to be having a friendly conversation with the young man and the previous tension in the room had dispersed. 

“Where’s Strauss?” Hotch asked monotonously. 

Prentiss and JJ looked over to them. “I spoke with her and suggested she go back to the hotel for the night.” JJ said, excusing herself from the two others and making her way over to the unit chief. “Sir, Reid was not at fault-“

Hotch held his hand up and JJ paused. “Reid has explained his position, I will speak with Strauss this evening and report her behaviour to the appropriate officials.” JJ was able to read between the lines of what Hotch was trying to say. Off the record, he agreed with Reid. But of course he could not outright say that, JJ nodded and returned to her work. 

Morgan and Rossi returned a short while later, completely unaware of the situation that had occurred less than twenty minutes previous. None of the officers or agents spoke about the incident, Hotch pretended he hadn’t seen Emily fist bump Spencer.


	4. Chapter 4

Aaron closed the door delicately despite his agitation. “Strauss knows.” His voice echoed around the room.

Spencer looked at him bleary eyed as he sat up from where he had lay down waiting for his boyfriend to return from his conversation with the section chief. He stared at Aaron for a moment, ‘knows what?’ was on the tip of his tongue before it dawned on him. “Oh,” He breathed out and stood up. “What did she…” 

The words seemed to escape from Spencer’s mind at that moment. It was so rare for him to not know what to say that it scared him slightly. Aaron strode across the room and took Spencer’s hands in his. 

“I told her that her behaviour at the precinct was highly inappropriate,” Aaron began to explain, his nervousness matching Spencer’s. “She said I was being hypocritical as I was engaging in a romantic relationship with a subordinate. She didn’t elaborate, asked me to leave when I couldn’t answer for myself.” 

“And you did?”

Aaron sighed. “I didn’t know what to say.” He admitted, sounding wholly broken and defeated. 

It was a sight Spencer had only seen once before, when he confided in Spencer about his divorce at the diner almost a year ago. They had seen each other at low points during the seven months they had been together, during cases that hit too close to home and trying to come to terms with the aftermath. There wasn’t much that could be said in those moments. Words didn’t quantify the situation then, and it seemed similar now. They held each other’s hands and stared into the others’ eyes. “We should tell the team.” Spencer whispered. 

Aaron nodded. “In the morning,” He agreed. “I just- Can we go to bed?” 

Spencer let go of Aaron’s hands and moved to untie his tie and push Aaron’s jacket off his shoulders. They changed wordlessly into their pyjamas and climbed into bed, Aaron pulled Spencer into his chest and held him as if his life depended on it. 

Neither man spoke. The room was so thick with emotion that it hindered their ability to think, to feel. “I love you.” Spencer said, because it was the only thing on his mind. 

“I love you too. I’m going to- I’ll try my hardest to fix this.” Aaron promised, running his fingers through Spencer’s hair. The other man couldn’t help but note Aaron’s use of contractions, it had always been his tell. When he was upset he tended to lets his rigidness slip. 

He buried his head in the crook of Aaron’s neck and closed his eyes. He didn’t say anything like ‘we’ll be okay’ because he didn’t want to lie to Aaron or himself. Spencer didn’t know if they were going to be okay, the chances of Strauss consenting to their relationship was slim to none. They wouldn’t be allowed to continue their personal involvement with one another and work together in the field. 

And that was what scared Spencer the most. One of the things that drew him to Aaron (and likewise with Aaron to Spencer) was that they understood each other’s commitment to the job. The job came before the relationship. 

But that was seven months ago. 

If (or more likely, when) the two were forced to choose between each other or the B.A.U., would their opinion be the same as it was when they first began dating? Neither man could leave the team, but neither man could leave the other either. And therein lay the problem that they hoped they’d never be made to face. 

-

A collective ‘oh shit’ was the immediate response from the team. There were questions to which nobody knew the answer spoken. When Hotch insisted that he would try fix it, both he and Spencer were shocked that Morgan was the first to react. 

“Your problem is all of our problem,” He said firmly. “We work this out together.” 

Morgan hadn’t said much since they had come out to him that night at the hospital in France. He hadn’t reacted negatively to it, he just hadn’t really reacted at all. Whatever concerns he had, he kept them to himself which unsettled Hotch and Reid more than they would have liked. 

The two men looked at each other and after a second, Morgan placed his hand on Hotch’s shoulder and they nodded once at one another. A silent agreement passing between them that Spencer didn’t fully understand. But it looked like acceptance, permission even. Morgan’s blessing to Hotch. 

Spencer didn’t need to say thank you for Morgan to know that he was grateful. 

After that, the team put the thought behind them to focus completely on the case. Strauss’ presence was limited and quiet for which the team was relieved. Without her breathing down their necks and judging every decision they made, it was easier to work. Consequently, they caught the unsub that day. 

The tension of the situation returned on the jet. When Hotch took the window seat by the table, Strauss sat down beside him and looked straight at Spencer as he walked down to the other end of the jet. JJ followed him and they sat across from each other at the far end of the cabin. 

Rossi sat across from Strauss and ignored her pointed glares. Clearly she had wanted to have a follow-up conversation with the unit chief, but that wasn’t going to happen. Morgan took Rossi’s lead and sat down at the empty seat beside him, filling up the table. Hotch busied himself with his paperwork as he usually did, not letting the section chief hinder his routine. The three men went as far as to act as if she were not there at all. Falling into easy conversation and purposely excluding her. 

Yes, it was childish of them but it portrayed their stance on the matter clearly. Any discussion had was to be had with all of them present. A united front. A family.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Rossi entered the break room while the team was idly chatting and clapped Hotch on the back, ominously declaring, “It’s been taken care of.”

He didn’t elaborate on it as he strolled out of the room towards his office, which confused and worried the unit chief more than he’d admit. “Is he talking about Strauss?” Prentiss theorised as they watched him walk away. 

Reid gasped, “Oh, my God. Did he kill her?” Prentiss snorted. 

Hotch gave them a stern look but it fell flat, he sighed and sipped at his coffee. What was Dave talking about? Was it related to the Strauss situation? He had seen the two of them talking when they had all returned to Quantico, Rossi must have said something to her. Had he threatened her? Of course not, Spencer’s overactive imagination was rubbing off of him. 

The air of mystery that surrounded Rossi carried well into the afternoon. Hotch hadn’t been visited by Strauss or even emailed by her P.A. and now he was starting to worry. Dave hadn’t been out of his office yet either which was more cause for concern. 

Dave was one of those people who couldn’t sit in the same spot for hours on end like Hotch could, he had to get out and stretch his legs every now and again. He usually poked his head into Aaron’s office at some point for some friendly small talk or to retell a story he heard on the news the night before. Hotch wasn’t sure if he was even in his office at all. 

Maybe it was a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell situation, and Hotch should pretend that he hadn’t noticed anything. A lot of things were like that when you worked in the Bureau, and at Hotch’s level of command it was almost commonplace. 

If Strauss had agreed with Rossi to turn a blind eye to his and Spencer’s relationship, he could live with that. He put the thought out of his mind, silently agreeing with himself that if he did not think about it, it would simply disappear eventually. 

Spencer, however, had talked about it the whole way home. He threw theories left and right in the car amongst other random thoughts that came to his head. “I don’t think Rossi could ever kill her, he wouldn’t be able to.” Aaron agreed, the team was well versed with violence and death but they could never really kill somebody innocent in cold blood. “He’s rich. I bet he hired a hitman.”

Aaron gave him a side-glare, keeping his focus on the road on front of him. “Spencer, I highly doubt he hired a hitman to kill Strauss over one issue.” He said. 

He turned in the passenger seat, bringing his leg up and crossing it under him. A position so natural to Spencer that Aaron couldn’t understand. “What do you think he meant?” His boyfriend enquired, looking at him and giving Aaron his full attention. 

“I don’t know,” Aaron shrugged. “He probably just slept with her.” 

Spencer loud laugh echoed through the S.U.V. and Aaron smirked. Although the idea seemed a bit absurd, it also seemed like a very Rossi-esque response. “That’s not a bad idea.” Spencer remarked. 

The older agent twisted his head to look at Spencer for a second, to make sure he wasn’t being sarcastic. “What?” He asked incredulously as he turned back to the road. 

“Well, if she had sex with Rossi than any action she takes against us will be hypocritical.” 

Silence stretched through the vehicle as both men digested the idea. “Somehow, I have more faith in the hitman theory.” Aaron said eventually, making Spencer giggle. The younger agent didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the whole ordeal, Aaron let his mind wonder as he thought about that. Why wasn’t Spencer worried like he was? 

Was it that Spencer trusted Rossi so explicitly that he didn’t question his decisions at all? Or was it an issue on his behalf, that he didn’t have enough confidence in his friend to trust him? Which was worse? 

“I read an article in the South Bend Tribune about an abandoned property initiative the mayor-“

“The south what?” Aaron interrupted, not fazed by the sudden turn in conversation that Spencer had taken. He had gotten used to it, knowing that in Spencer’s mind, the jump made perfect sense. Somewhere in Spencer’s mind the previous conversation and the current topic he had started to talk about were connected. 

Spencer looked at him with his eyebrows furrowed. “The South Bend Tribune, it’s the local newspaper of South Bend, Indiana.” He explained with a hint of confusion in his voice. 

Aaron smiled at him. “Spence, I don’t read local papers from towns five hundred miles away.” 

“Six hundred and thirty eight miles, and South Bend is actually the fourth largest city in Indiana.” Spencer corrected him without missing a beat and continued on with his spiel about the demolition of derelict buildings in Indiana’s fourth largest city according to the daily newspaper. 

Aaron was more than happy to listen to him chatter and speak his mind, answer questions Spencer asked him and take in the new information being shared with him. Spencer was interrupted too often at work, it broke Aaron’s heart when he had to redirect him to the topic at hand, knowing how personal it was to Spencer to feel comfortable enough to speak about his interests. 

The young doctor had always listened to Aaron whenever he spoke reminiscently about his favourite childhood memories (despite them being few and far between) and stories from his time before joining the Bureau.


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer was stretched out on the couch lazily reading ‘The Railway Children’ when there was a gentle rap against the apartment door. He rose with curiosity to see who was on the other side, Aaron had gone to do some shopping for the two of them. The house devoid of anything nutritious and they couldn’t live off take-away forever. (Aaron’s words, not Spencer’s)

Looking through the peephole, he was pleasantly surprised to see Haley and Jack waiting. He unlocked the door and opened it, immediately tackled by the young boy who declared, “Spencer!” at the top of his lungs. 

Jack still had his adorable lisp that blended syllables, it was utterly endearing to hear him say ‘Spenthor’. He threw his arms over Jack’s shoulders as he wrapped himself around Spencer’s legs and greeted him. “Hello Jack,” He said happily and looked up to his mother. “Please, come in.” 

She stepped around the two of them into the apartment and put her handbag down on the table by Spencer’s keys. “Aaron’s just out getting some groceries,” He explained as Jack released his grip and moved into the apartment. 

“That’s alright,” She replied. “We were just in the neighbourhood and Jack had some questions that were of the utmost importance.” Her tone was playful and kind, Spencer laughed at the sarcasm as he turned to Jack. 

He noticed the boy holding on to the notebook Spencer had gifted him for his birthday last month. Jack had filled up his old one with questions and drawing that he wanted to talk to Spencer about whenever they were together, he called it his ‘Spencer Book’ and only he and Spencer were allowed look in it. Aaron and Haley found it quite precious how Jack had latched on to Spencer as a parental figure over the past few months. 

The boy in question nodded and held up the notebook, opening it up on a page and beckoning the doctor toward him to look into it. His writing wasn’t the most eligible but it was what could be expected of a seven year old, carefully drawn letters and unnoticed spelling errors. Spencer didn’t often comment on the grammar of the questions, he didn’t want to seem to be taking control over Jack’s education and learning. His school teacher would correct him when needs be and he was just there to answer the curious boy’s questions. 

Although, looking down at the words between the lined pages of Jack’s notebook, he didn’t think he could do that now. “Uh,” He said slowly looking up from the nook to the woman across the room. “I’m not sure I am the right person to answer that.” He explained to him. 

Jack furrowed his eyebrows in a way that had Spencer thinking ‘He looks so much like Aaron’, “But you answer everything.” Jack replied confused. 

“Yes,” Spencer agreed, kneeling down to look at him at eye level. “This question is a bit different, though.” 

Haley stepped forward when she saw the alarmed and weary look on Spencer’s face. “What is it? Maybe I can answer it.” She asked her son who was now pouting sadly. He pulled the notebook to his chest to stop her from looking into it but stepped over to her. 

“Is Spencer a mommy or a daddy?” 

She cocked her head to the side confused. “He isn’t either. He doesn’t have any children.” She said, flicking her eyes between Jack and Spencer. 

Jack’s pout turned to a frown. “He has me!” He declared upset. Haley’s mouth fell open into an ‘o’ as she comprehended what Jack was trying to communicate with the two adults. The room felt stiff to Spencer as he tried to breathe through the tightness in his chest. Jack had just called himself Spencer’s child, it was a lot to take in.

It was so inherently different to anything he had ever experienced since first meeting Jack as Aaron’s boyfriend. Sure, Aaron had often referred to the two of them as ‘his boys’, but that wasn’t really the same thing. He was Aaron’s boyfriend Jack was Aaron’s son, Aaron was his boyfriend but Jack wasn’t his son.

He called them the ‘Hotchner men’ on occasion, but not with the same personalisation to it as Aaron. Jack wasn’t his like he was his father’s, their circles never crossed. Jack was very much on Aaron’s side of their imaginary relationship Venn diagram, he didn’t intersect like their jobs did. 

And Aaron wasn’t here to discuss it with them. Obviously the question expected an immediate response but Spencer didn’t have one, he didn’t think he was in the position to give one even if he did have an answer. And he doubted Haley would make such a significant decision without consulting Jack’s father first as it involved them both equally. 

“How about,” Spencer started, breaking the tense silence that had fallen in the apartment. “You keep calling me Spencer and I’ll, uh, do some research for you. And I will answer the question next time?” 

Jack seemed content with the response, and Haley relieved. “Okay.” Jack exclaimed and then excused himself to the bathroom a moment later. 

“Spencer, I am so sorry. I had no idea-“

He cut her off in the most polite way he could. “Haley, it’s okay.” He chuckled, releasing the pent up tension from his shoulders. “I know you didn’t know what he would say, he doesn’t show anybody that book.” 

She strode across the space between them but didn’t reach out to touch him. When she spoke, her voice was kind and quiet. “That was a lot to take in, but if you and Aaron are comfortable with it, Jack can call you whatever he likes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey folks, don't know if any of you noticed but I added a link to the description of the series. It's a spotify playlist I made for it. It's songs that I find fitting to the progression of the story, all in order. Check it out if you want :)


	7. Chapter 7

When Spencer heard the bathroom door close softly, he turned to Haley. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Spencer asked softly, hoping that Jack wouldn’t overhear them. 

Haley bit her lip and gave him an anxious look. “I don’t know, Spencer.” She said wearily, but Spencer’s insistence was one of his greatest assets and she relented eventually. Spencer and she got on well, which surprised all three of them to the same extent. They had a similar sense of humour and conversation came naturally to them when they were together.

Although they had only talk to each other a handful of times, they considered themselves friends. 

Then Jack came scampering down the hallway, happily humming and babbling about the scent of the new hand soap. “Jack, Spencer wants us to stay for dinner. Are you okay with that?” Haley asked. The young boy jumped up and down excitedly which had both of the adults chuckling. 

Spencer made his way into the kitchen to offer the two of them a drink. He knew Hotch wouldn’t drink alcohol while Jack was in his presence, something he had promised himself when he was still a teenager himself. He turned on the coffee machine and heard the apartment door open. When Aaron called out to Spencer, Jack ran out of the kitchen without a second thought towards his father’s voice.

They could heard Aaron’s pleasant surprise and amusement when Jack jumped into his arms and Aaron carried him into the kitchen with ease. “Well, what’s the occasion for the sudden visit?” He asked, placing the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter and accepting the mug of coffee from Spencer, thanking him with a quick peck on his boyfriend’s cheek. 

Haley and Spencer’s eyes met and Aaron felt the atmosphere of the room shift awkwardly around him. “Jack had a question for Spencer,” Haley said carefully. 

The answer confused Aaron more, his son had always gone to Spencer with questions. It was not out of the ordinary anymore. Why did it seem like Haley and Spencer were tiptoeing around the admission? He looked to his boyfriend in silent communication, saying that they will speak of it later on. “So, uh.” He started, “Are you going to stay for dinner?” Hotch asked the boy in his arms. 

“Yes, please.” Jack said politely. 

He glanced to Haley who was smiling at the two of them, she nodded her agreement. “Okay,” He announced, readjusting his grip around Jack’s waist. “I just bought some groceries so let’s get out of Spence’s hair while he does his thing.” He motioned toward kitchen counter. 

Haley’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she turned to the doctor. “You can cook too?” She questioned jokingly. “Why am I even surprised?” Spencer laughed as he unpacked the shopping bag. 

“Daddy,” Jack said as they were walking out of the kitchen towards the living room. “Can my friend Ben come over for playing soon?” He asked nervously.

Aaron placed him on his lap as he sat down on the couch. “Of course he can.” The father replied, sipping from his steaming mug. He knew that Jack was having some trouble in terms of socialising at school, Spencer had assured him that it was fairly typical for young autistic boys to experience this and it was not the fault of the parents or any other factors. Jack seemed to have a steady friendship with one classmate, Ben. He had mentioned him a fair amount of times over the past couple of months. 

Jack’s smile lit up the room and pulled at Aaron’s heart strings. “He was sad because he want to meet Spencer. I told Ben my dads are spies and Spencer is also a number doctor.” He babbled excitedly. “Ben’s mom is a marine.” He said slowly, pronouncing the word Spencer had thought him carefully with pride.

His quick pace had always had Aaron reeling and trying to catch up to what Jack was saying, similarly to Spencer. Chuckling at his son referring to Spencer as a ‘number doctor’, he almost missed the young boy say ‘dads’. Plural. He saw Spencer as one of his fathers. 

Unbeknownst to Aaron, this was the second time that evening Jack had placed a paternal title on his boyfriend. The words were not lost on Haley either, she looked down at her lap before she drew her eyes up to the man. She was somewhat shocked to see the blinding smile on his features, soft dimples framing his cheeks. 

“We aren’t spies,” was all Aaron said in response. 

As their son launched into another topic of conversation, himself and Haley spoke wordlessly. She smiled at Aaron’s calm reply to Jack’s words. He didn’t correct the boy or argue with him about it, Haley had not expected him to. Aaron was so careful to be the caring paternal figure that his own father had not been, doing everything in his power to break the abusive cycle about the Hotchner family. 

In a way, he was silently encouraging Jack to continue by not mentioning it. He hoped Spencer would be alright with it, but that was a conversation that would have to wait until after dinner when they were alone. For now, he clutched his son in his arms and showered him with love and attention.


	8. Chapter 8

Spencer had been hunched over his desk working tiredly since they had arrived at eight thirty. It was almost three in the afternoon, he hadn’t even gotten up for coffee. Morgan had placed a fresh cup beside his every time the agent went to refill his own. Other than muttering a ‘thank you’ to Morgan, Reid hadn’t said a word to anybody all day. 

It was almost humorous, he was so engrossed in his work. Hotch found it ironic that Spencer snuck cereal bars into his jacket pocket to remind him to eat on cases, when they were almost always rushing from one place to another and didn’t have time to stop and eat a proper meal. And here he was, on a perfect (and rare) calm day and he probably hadn’t considered lunch. 

Sure, Hotch hadn’t eaten much either, but he had at least gotten out of his office a few times to stretch his legs and have a conversation with somebody. His stomach gurgled at the thought of food, he was hungrier than he thought. 

He made his way out of his office and into the bullpen, tapping his boyfriend on the shoulder. Not surprisingly, Spencer did little more than grunt in response. Not looking up from his work. Aaron chuckled and pulled his chair out from the desk gently. 

“Spence, come on. You need to take a break.” He said, gaining a light laugh from Prentiss across from them. She uttered something under her breath that had Morgan snickered. Hotch glared at both of them but there was a smile on his face, deflating the effect of it. 

When there was no reply from Spencer, Hotch sighed and ran his hands down Spencer’s sides, tickling him lightly, knowing it would at least elicit a response. Predictably, he jumped in his seat and looked up to his boyfriend standing over him. “I’m almost finished.” 

Hotch rolled his eyes. “It will still be here in an hour,” He reached out for Spencer hand and pulled him up from his seat. The genius gave in to the touch and let Aaron guide him away from the desk. “Let’s go get a sandwich.” He suggested as they walked side by side toward the elevator. 

At the diner ten minutes from Quantico, they were greeted by the familiar waitress who chatted friendly with the couple as they ordered their usual meals. 

“What are you thinking?” Aaron asked. 

Spencer gave him a confused look across the table. “What do you mean?” He responded, stirring his coffee idly. 

The unit chief reached out and ran his fingers over Spencer’s hand. “You throw yourself into your work when you’re trying to not think about something else.” He explained. 

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the table between them. “Huh,” he said after a moment of silence. “I didn’t even realise.” 

“Just something I noticed.” Aaron shrugged and leaned back as they waitress returned with two plates and a small smile. He let Spencer take a few bites from his sandwich before he spoke up again. “So?” was all he said, prompting Spencer. 

He hummed and tapped his foot under the table. “I might take a few days off, at the end of the month.” He said. Aaron didn’t say anything but he signalled for his partner to explain. “I think, uh, I’ll visit mom.” 

Aaron nodded. “You have a lot of holiday time.” He paused when he saw Spencer’s expression shift, unsure of what he had said that had provoked it. He stared at Spencer, waiting for him to gather his words as he watched him move his lips. It was something Spencer had always done when he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say. Aaron didn’t rush him. 

“Maybe,” Spencer began softly. “You could come too?” He asked apprehensively, not looking up from the food on front of him and therefore not seeing the wide smile that broke out across Aaron’s face. 

“Really?” Aaron questioned excitedly. 

Spencer’s eyes cautiously lifted and his head soon followed as he saw the happy look on his boyfriend’s features. “I want to introduce you to her. As my boyfriend, because she has met you before but that was three years and two months ago and you were just my boss and-“ He cut himself off from his ramble. 

Reaching out again, Aaron took Spencer’s hand in his and squeezed lovingly. “I want to meet her.” He said simply. Spencer nodded and squeezed back. 

“And, um.” He spoke up after a few minutes of comfortable silence. “I was thinking about what Jack said the other day.” His voice was cautious and timid. 

Aaron nodded. “It’d be okay with me if he wanted to call me… dad, or something. I don’t know.” He rushed his words nervously and bit the inside of his cheek. The quietness that followed scared Spencer. Had he said something wrong? Was it too much too fast for Aaron? He opened his mouth to say that they didn’t need to talk about it now, but Aaron cut him off. 

“Jack will be so excited.” Aaron laughed, and the sound made Spencer relax. His shoulders fell and he leaned back against the seat, releasing a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding in. 

They had talked about it briefly, the night Haley and Jack stayed for dinner. Aaron said he was comfortable with it if Spencer was. But he also made his worries clear, if their relationship didn’t work out and Spencer left, Jack would take it hard. Having already suffered his parents’ separation, how would his young mind process if Spencer left? Of course, Spencer understood. He knew what it was like to have a father walk out on you, having experienced it first hand at age ten. 

There was no guarantee that their relationship would last. That was an unfortunate conclusion that they had come to early on. It was an occupational hazard, even if they worked the same job. But that didn’t mean they weren’t willing to do everything in their power to try, because they were.


	9. Chapter 9

The atmosphere of the plane was light and cheerful as the team sat around together either watching or participating in a game of poker. The case hadn’t been particularly difficult in the profiling aspect, but actually finding the unsub in Detroit; a city of over seven hundred thousand people, was quite difficult. 

Eventually they had caught up to the unsub, Austin White, after being sent on a wild goose chase across the city. Hotch and JJ had been the ones to arrest him and L.E.O’s brought him back to the station after hours of searching. 

But they had made it out the other side rather unscathed and their moods were pleasant as they chatted. As Rossi recounted one of his many stories from the B.A.U.’s early days, Aaron coughed out a laugh and winced, drawing the attention of his boyfriend beside him. 

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows and looked over Aaron, noticing the developing bruises around his neck. “What happened?” He asked in shock as he reached out to touch his neck. 

Aaron tried to pull away from the touch and immediately regretted it. “Nothing, it’s fine.” He tried, but JJ spoke over him. 

“You didn’t tell him?” She asked incredulously as she pointed her finger at Spencer.

The young doctor turned to his best friend across the table. “Tell me what?” He demanded, flicking his gaze between her and Aaron beside him. 

“White fought Hotch when he tried to cuff him, nearly choked him unconscious.” 

The jet fell into silence as Spencer turned to Aaron with wide eyes. Prentiss saw the rising fury in Spencer’s eyes and had to hold back her laughter, her shoulders shook and Morgan nudged her with his foot. He, too, was biting his bottom lip to control his amused chuckle. “Were you going to tell me this?” Spencer asked, his voice was slightly higher pitched than normal.

A pause. “Yes.”

He might as well not have spoken at all. Every profiler could easily tell that Hotch meant no when he said yes. Spencer pushed his lips together as he stared at Aaron. After a tense moment, he turned away from his boyfriend and glared at the window. 

The team shared glances amongst themselves, all in similar states of amusement and having difficulty controlling it. Prentiss cleared her throat and hesitantly spoke, “Two cards, please.” She said. The other agents took their cue from her and continued with the game. 

When Morgan had lost all his chips, (marshmallows courtesy of the airport’s duty free store) he excused himself to the couch to take a short nap before they were back at Quantico. JJ decided to get started on her paperwork so she could head straight home from the jet. 

“Hey,” Aaron said quietly and nudged his sulking boyfriend’s arm with his as he tried to get Spencer’s attention. 

Spencer shook his head. “’m mad at you.” He muttered, even though he wasn’t really. 

Aaron put his hand on Spencer’s thigh and started to trace patterns in the fabric of his trousers, the touch just heavy enough for him to feel on his skin. “I’m sorry,” He whispered and leaned into Spencer’s space. 

“Don’t care.” Spencer responded stubbornly. 

Dave leaned over to Prentiss. “Somebody’s in the dog house.” He murmured. The couple pretended not to hear them chuckling.

Aaron gripped Spencer’s thigh softly to pull him towards him. “Let me make it up to you.” He pleaded, kissing Spencer’s temple. 

He weakly tried to wriggle free of Aaron’s grip. “You can’t just offer sex every time I’m angry.” 

“Yes I can.” Aaron replied cheekily with a smirk on his face. 

Spencer sighed and gave up trying to be mad with him. “Whatever,” He said displeased, sinking into Aaron’s side and draping his arm protectively over his chest. “I don’t like it when you get injured.” He admitted softly. 

The older man shifted his position to let Spencer hold him tighter. He buried his nose in Spencer’s brown curls and closed his eyes. “I know,” There wasn’t much more he could say at the moment. He couldn’t promise that it wouldn’t happen again, he couldn’t tell Spencer that he’ll try be safer. They both knew that this was part of the job. “I’m okay.” He reassured his partner, kissing him on the top of his head. 

Spencer nodded against Aaron’s chest. They sat together in a tight embrace and Spencer let Aaron run his fingers soothingly over his thighs. “I’m still getting make-up sex though, right?” Spencer asked after a minute of warm silence. “Because your hand is making implications that I tend to follow through with.”

Aaron chuckled but was interrupted by Rossi’s voice from across the jet. “We can still hear you.” He warned. 

“Don’t you worry, Rossi.” Spencer retorted. “We can be much louder.” 

“Spencer!” Aaron spluttered in shock which provoked hysterical laughter from JJ and Emily and an uncomfortable grimace from Dave. Spencer giggled as Aaron pinched his thigh and leaned up to kiss him on the chin. 

The laughter and bustle of the group stirred Derek. “What happened?” He muttered sleepily. 

Dave shook his head. “You don’t want to know, kid.” He said and gestured to him to go back asleep. Morgan shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes again, paying the team no more attention as he drifted off again. “Bunch of horny teenagers.” He grumbled under his breath. Spencer’s sharp hearing picked it up and he giggled against the side of Aaron’s neck.


	10. Chapter 10

Driving down the dry roads of suburban Vegas had Aaron’s leg bouncing up and down continuously in the passenger seat of the couple’s rental car. Spencer placed his hand on Aaron’s knee to get him to stop. “Sorry,” He whispered, placing his foot flat on the floor. He sat back against the seat and willed his muscles to relax. 

“You’re really nervous, aren’t you?” Spencer asked quietly. 

Aaron sighed and nodded. He took Spencer’s hand in his and let the comfort of the touch wash over him. “Why did I agree to this?” He muttered anxiously. 

Spencer looked at him from the corner of his eye and smirked. “Because you love me,” He responded playfully. “And you secretly wanted a weekend away from work.” Aaron laughed shortly in agreement. He watched the sign for Bennington come into view and swallowed audibly. 

The staff were friendly with Spencer from years of familiarity and happily greeted him when Spencer introduced him as his boyfriend. He was given a form to fill out for first time visitors and tried to hide the shaking in his hand as he wrote.

A young receptionist was typing on the computer as Aaron completed the paperwork. “Meeting the parents, huh?” She asked sympathetically. Clearly he hadn’t hidden it well enough. 

He glanced up to her for a brief second as he nodded. “Are my nerves that obvious?” 

She smiled at him and took the forms from him as he finished. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She comforted with her soothing tone. He returned the smiled. 

“Thank you, uh.” He glanced at her name tag. “Olivia.” 

Making his way to Spencer’s side, he was led through the facility as Spencer chatted idly about trivial information of the building and the staff. He knew his calming tone would ease Aaron’s nerves. They made it to the library and walked through the open door. The room was vacant minus the one occupant reading contently by the window. Small rain drops were hitting the large glass panes, filling the otherwise silent room. 

Their footsteps echoed but she didn’t look up from her page. Just like her son, Aaron observed. Completely absorbed in the words. She looked completely at home by the window, using the natural daylight to read. Spencer stepped closer to Aaron and let their sides brush together. “Mom.” He spoke softly, drawing her attention away from the book. 

“Spencer,” She greeted excitedly. “I thought it was the nurses.” 

Diana placed a bookmark in her page and closed it over, redirecting her full focus to her son. “I brought somebody to meet you.” He said shyly. 

Aaron’s took a deep breath as he watched Spencer’s mother look over him. He stood completely still and didn’t dare to talk before she did. Her eyebrows were drawn together in the same way that Spencer’s would when he was studying something or someone. 

When she was finished, she sat back in her armchair and motioned for the two of them to sit down on the small couch across from her. “You have an impeccable jawline which leads me to believe you must be Aaron.” She said eventually. 

Aaron looked to Spencer who had a small smile on his lips. Impeccable jawline? He’d file that thought away until a later time. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Aaron Hotchner.” He introduced himself as he sat down beside Spencer. 

“Hotchner,” She replied. “Dutch?”

He nodded. “So I’ve been told. But I’m Virginia born and bred.” He said proudly. 

Spencer chuckled and rolled his eyes at him. “Well I can tell that much from your accent.” She answered humorously and made eye contact with Spencer. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them which made Aaron slightly nervous when he saw his boyfriend smile widely. “Spencer tells me you have a son?” She asked politely. 

The tension visibly drained from Aaron. “Yes, ma’am.” He replied. “His name is Jack and he turns eight in October.” 

“He calls me dad.” Spencer inputted with a chuckle. 

His mother turned to him and her eyes were wide and happy. “Really?” Aaron nodded. “Oh, that’s lovely.” She said endearingly. 

Spencer leaned into Aaron’s side and put his arm around Aaron’s waist. “Tell me all about him.” She said invitingly to Aaron. Of course, she already knew all about him. Spencer wrote about Jack frequently in his letters and she memorised every word of them. She could see how the tense and hesitant man across from her softened at the mention of his son and she encouraged him. As a mother she knew how he felt when he talked about Jack. 

Aaron told her about Jack’s relationship with Spencer and how he helps Jack with his school work. How they constantly gang up on his when they both want pizza for dinner or to watch Doctor Who. “They are a formidable duo. Last week they manipulated me into bringing them to the Smithsonian again.”

“It’s not manipulation.” Spencer objected. 

“Yes, it is. You two emotionally manipulate me into getting whatever you want and it works every time.” He said certainly, although there was no anger behind it. He spoke fondly and lovingly. 

Spencer pursed his lips and shrugged. Aaron rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the woman across from them. She was smiling broadly at them and her eyes were slightly glazed over from unshed tears that Aaron pretended not to notice. “Sounds like you’ve found yourself a nice little family.” Her voice wavered with emotion as she spoke to her son. 

He laid his head against Aaron’s shoulder and mirrored his mother’s grin. “I have.” He replied honestly.


	11. Chapter 11

They talked for close to three hours uninterrupted. Aaron was completely captivated by everything Diana Reid had to say about everything and she the same for him. They got on like a house on fire and it joyed Spencer to no end. 

Eventually, a nurse had entered to inform them that visiting hours were over. The announcement saddened them all equally and had the two men leaving with strong hugs and promises to visit again before Christmas. Diana expressed her interest in meeting Jack and the couple promised that they would discuss it. As they signed out of the sanatorium, the young receptionist smiled kindly at them. “I take it went well?” She asked as she handed over the sign out sheet. 

Aaron smiled at Olivia as he took the pen and paper offered to him. “Yes, it was nice.” He answered politely and honestly. He glanced at Spencer and caught his bashful grin and sparkling brown eyes.

She took the forms from the two of them when they were finished and smiled back at him. “We’ll see you again then?” Aaron agreed happily. Spencer took Aaron’s hand in his and led him out to the car park. 

By the car, Spencer pushed Aaron up against the door and kissed him hard on the lips. It took Aaron by surprise but he recovered quickly and gripped Spencer’s waist tightly. “Spence,” He murmured against his boyfriend’s mouth but didn’t try to stop him. 

When Spencer pulled away, both their lips were red and swollen. “Sorry, I just-“ He sucked in a deep breath and put his hands on Aaron’s shoulder. “I don’t know how to tell you how happy I am.” He laughed and threw his arms around Aaron’s shoulders, burying his head in his boyfriend’s neck and taking a deep breath. 

Aaron ran his hands up Spencer’s sides and clutched at his cotton shirt. “I’m happy too.” He whispered. “Let’s go back to the hotel.” Aaron suggested and begrudgingly pushed Spencer away from him so he could climb into the car. 

Spencer furrowed his eyebrows but walked around to the driver’s side of the vehicle. It was rare that Spencer drove rather than Aaron, but he knew his way around the Vegas suburbs better than the older man. “It’s still early, we could get something to eat?” He offered, turning the keys in the ignition and glancing across to Aaron.

The unit chief’s eyes were smoky as he smirked at the man beside him. He said nothing but Spencer understood what he was thinking and he agreed. “Food can wait.” He said hoarsely. The drive back to the hotel was short but it felt so long in the confines of the rented Ford Focus.

“I think Jack would absolutely adore her,” Aaron admitted softly. 

Spencer smiled minutely. “You do?” 

“She’s got that certain feeling about her. That there isn’t anything in the world she doesn’t understand. You have it too, that’s why Jack loves you.” There were so many similarities between Spencer and Diana that he hadn’t noticed until that moment. “You’re completely encompassed by such a vast wealth of knowledge that you captivate everybody around you.”

Aaron looked at Spencer. Really looked at him. Studied the planes of his face as he focused on the road ahead of them. He was pushing his lips together in a thin line to control the outright grin that was trying to break out. There were natural highlights making themselves known in his dark, wavy hair from the two days spent in the Las Vegas sunshine. 

His breathing was silent and almost undetectable, his chest didn’t seem to rise and fall as dramatically as others’ did. It was like the air came to him naturally and his lungs didn’t need to seek it. He was caressing the leather material of the steering wheel with his index fingers, drawing obscure patterns that Aaron didn’t understand. But he knew it made perfect sense to Spencer. Most things did. 

There must have been a hundred things running through Spencer’s mind at that moment, whereas the man was the only thing on Aaron’s. And it was quite captivating, how that worked. How one man could make such an alert and intelligent person like Aaron Hotchner go completely thoughtless without actually doing anything at all. 

Nothing was happening and Aaron couldn’t stop thinking about that. A moment like this should be dull and uninteresting, but nothing was ever dull or uninteresting when Spencer was around.

In the privacy of their hotel room they stripped each other hastily. Words murmured were broken moans of ‘please’ and ‘more’. Aaron pushed Spencer down onto the bed when he was naked and stood at the edge watching over him. When he spoke, his voice was thick with lust and wanton. “Spread yourself.” Aaron instructed, reaching into his suitcase and pulling out a bottle of lube. 

Spencer took the bottle from him and uncapped the lid. He did as Aaron told him to and slicked up his fingers. Aaron stood by the end of the bed, stripping off his underwear and grabbing his hardening cock. He watched as Spencer whimpered and penetrated himself with one finger. 

“Such a good boy,” Aaron praised, revelling in Spencer’s throaty moans and how his cock filled without being touched. Aaron became fully hard quickly at the scene before him; Spencer’s legs spread and length straining against his stomach. He loved how responsive Spencer was to him, every touch elicited a reaction. When Aaron told him to stop he did so instantly. 

He crawled onto the bed over Spencer and placed his arms over either side of his head. He lowered his hips against Spencer’s and brought his face down to Spencer’s, stopping an inch away from his lips. “May I?” He asked. 

Spencer smiled at him. “Yes,” He consented and wrapped his legs around Aaron’s waist. There cocks brushed together, making Aaron groan lowly. He closed his eyes and kissed Spencer passionately, enjoying the feeling of Spencer opening up below him. 

He opened his eyes to look into Spencer’s. “I really do love you.” He said, the admission coming out as a soft whisper. His voice was absorbed in rawness and honesty. 

“I’ve never been so certain of anything else in my life.” Spencer whispered back.


	12. Chapter 12

Aaron watched from the doorway as Spencer and Jack sat on the sitting room couch, Jack on Spencer’s lap and a book shared between their hands. The young boy was reading out loud, pausing every time he came to a difficult word and letting Spencer help him sound it out. His boys were so engrossed in the book that neither of them even knew he’d been standing there for the past five minutes.

There was a knock on their door that had Aaron begrudgingly leaving the heart-warming scene on front of him for the hallway. Spencer’s head went up for half a second to see Aaron heading to answer it, then allowing himself to focus back on the boy in his lap and the pages in their hands. On the other side waited a pleasant surprise. “Sean?” 

The younger brother smiled up at him from the apartment landing. “Hey, Aaron.” He greeted, waving shortly. Aaron pulled him into a tight hug. 

“What are you doing out here?” Aaron stepped aside and welcomed his brother inside the house. Sean looked around the hallway and took in his surroundings; pictures of Jack with family and friends mostly, nothing surprising for Aaron. What did come as a shock to Sean were the certificates littered along the walls, he couldn’t read what they said. He was no profiler like his brother, but he was almost certain that they did not belong to Aaron or his nephew. 

He turned back to face Aaron walking in behind him. “Visiting an old friend in D.C.” He answered. “Thought I’d swing by while I was out of New York.” 

“I’m glad you did. There’s someone I would actually like you to meet while you’re here.” Aaron guided him just short of the sitting room where Spencer and Jack were still curled up on the couch, whispering and giggling to each other and paying no attention to anything else. 

Sean’s forehead creased in confusion but was interrupted by the young boy speaking up. “Dad, can we ask Daddy for mac and cheese?” He asked, looking up to Spencer. 

The genius hummed and tapped his chin. “We might have to give him a big hug.” Spencer answered, making Jack bounce excitedly in his lap. Their book fell to the floor in abandon as Spencer picked up their son and stood up. His eyes were drawn to the two shadows just outside the room, silently observing them. 

“Are you two plotting against me again?” Aaron asked in a playful tone as he walked into the room with Sean now trailing in after him. 

Jack smiled in Spencer’s grip. “Maybe.” He giggled again.

Their visitor coughed to reiterate his presence and Spencer looked toward him. “Oh, hello.” He said awkwardly. “You’re Sean.” 

They had met once before briefly when Sean had come to visit Aaron at Quantico a year ago. He hadn’t introduced himself much more than ‘I’m Aaron’s brother’. He doubted Sean remembered him. 

“This is my boyfriend, Spencer.” Aaron introduced nervously, flicking his eyes between his partner and his brother. Luckily for Spencer, Sean didn’t offer a handshake. Probably due to the handful of child that Spencer was holding. He smiled politely at him and nodded his head in greeting which was much more preferable to Spencer.

He pushed his hands into his pockets and turned to his brother again. “Really?” He questioned, his voice raising in pitch and amusement. “Well I never thought I’d see the day.” He chuckled softly and patted Aaron on the shoulder. A silent affirmation that Aaron hadn’t known that he was waiting for until that moment, he felt himself release excess tension from his shoulders until his brother’s light grip. 

Aaron smiled in response and patted his brother’s back. “Jack, do you remember Uncle Sean from New York?” He asked. Jack nodded and waved wildly and excitedly at Sean but didn’t say anything. It was perfectly understandable that Jack wouldn’t feel completely comfortable speaking around people he wasn’t extremely familiar with. 

That was part of the reason that Aaron had been so shocked when he took so quickly to Spencer. He hadn’t grown out of his lisp yet and he was receiving some snarky comments about it at school which clearly played a factor in his hesitancy to speak to others. But Spencer had been teaching him sign language at Aaron and Haley’s request. 

“So, my boys want mac and cheese.” Aaron announced, looking conspiringly between Spencer and Jack. They both nodded with wide matching grins on their faces. Aaron chuckled and reached his arms out to Spencer, he could see Jack’s weight was starting to play on his arms and he took the quickly growing boy from his boyfriend’s arms into his own. 

He guided the two men into the kitchen, offering Sean a drink and automatically putting the coffee machine on for Spencer without having to be asked. Aaron sat Jack on the kitchen counter so he could watch him cook their meal. Jack was a quick learner and liked to do things for himself, although he was still too young for Aaron to feel comfortable about him cooking for himself, it wouldn’t hurt for him to observe and take note of the routine for when the day came. 

Sean caught a glance of the box Aaron was holding in his hand tutted in a way that had Spencer laughing. “We don’t do very extravagant meals often.” He said, priding himself in being able to start a conversation with the unfamiliar man. 

“Your talents lie elsewhere from what I see on the walls out there.” Sean responded, pointing his thumb over his shoulder out to the hallway he had walked in from. 

The doctor nodded. “They’re pretty much all Spence’s.” Aaron spoke up from his place by the hob. Sean turned to him and raised his eyebrows in silent question. 

Spencer pushed his tongue against his teeth. “I have, um, three degrees and three doctorates.” He admitted, not wanting to feeling like he was bragging. “The rest are Aaron’s. His J.D., F.B.I. medals for meritorious achievement and bravery. And the Director’s Award for Excellence.” He was much more ready to talk about how amazing his boyfriend was than talk about his own merits. It was important to him that people understood that Aaron was a highly intelligent and achieved man in his own right even when he was around Spencer. 

“Aaron, you never told me about those medals.” Sean said to his older brother. 

“He doesn’t tell anybody, I didn’t know he had them until I found them in a box in his closet two months ago. I made him put them up.” 

Sean’s mouth opened in surprise and he laughed, shaking his head and smiling crookedly at Aaron’s back. “He’s too modest for his own good some times.” He joked. 

“Don’t I know it.” Spencer replied sarcastically.

The two men bantered between each other (mostly about Aaron) while Aaron busied himself with Jack’s mac and cheese and pretended not to hear either of them as they retold stories to one another. Sean’s from their childhood and late adolescence, Spencer’s from their work and romantic relationship. Although Spencer was stunned and scared when Sean had first appeared alongside his partner in the sitting room earlier that evening, he had since warmed up to him and didn’t feel intimidated or overly-uncomfortable around him by the end of the night.


End file.
